1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method in which, when print data is transmitted for printing from a computer via a network to a printer using a page description language, such as a laser-beam-printer image processing system, the transmission of the print data from the computer to the printer can be discontinued to interrupt printing. The present invention also relates to an apparatus and system for realizing the method, and a program-stored storage medium used in the apparatus and system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional operating system (hereinafter referred to as an "OS") such as "Windows" (trademark) converts print data produced by an application into a printer language characteristic of a printer before transmitting the print data to the printer. If interruption of the transmission of the print data is requested by a user, the OS interrupts the transmission of the print data to the printer when the interruption is requested by the user. However, even if the computer interrupts the transmission of the print data, any print data which has already been transmitted is received by a receiving buffer in the printer. In addition, the printer processes successively received print data as the remainder of the partly transmitted print data. Accordingly, when other print data is newly transmitted to the printer, if the printer is a type using a page description language, the newly transmitted data connects with the partly transmitted print data to cause errors such as character changes, which discontinues normal printing.